Matthew van tassel



(No Model.)

M. VAN TASSEL.

BRAKE ROD FOB CARS.

No. 271,381. Patented J'an.30,1883.

' WITNESSES INVENTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

lJ'NiTED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

MATTHEW VAN TASSEL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BRAKE-ROD FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,381, dated January30, 1883.

Application filed Novembe r 21, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'l, MATTHEW VAN TASSEL, of Brooklyn, E. D., in thecounty of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulimprovement in Brake-Rods for Street- Cars, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification,in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvement shown as applied to acar, the car-axle and the brake-beam being shown in section. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of a part of the brakerod, and showing the brake-beam andthe link in section. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the same, takenthrough the line 00 90, Fig. 2.

The object of this invention is to prevent the breaking of street-carbrake-rods.

The invention consists in a brake-rod made with a U-bcnd at its rearend. The brakebeam is placed upon the short arm of the brake-rod, andthe two arms are connected at the forward side of the said brake-beam bya link, so that the bending of the rod from the turning of thebrake-beam will be made to occur in the body of the rod, as will behereinafter fully described. v

A represents the wheel, B the axle, and G the frame, of a street-car.

D is the brake-shaft, to the upper end of which is attached the crank E,and to its lower end is attached the end of a short chain, F. The otherend of the chain F is attached to the forward end of the brake-rod G.The rear end of the brake-rod G is bent into U form, and its short armor end passes through the brake-beam H, and has two nuts,-IJ, screwedupon it, one upon each side ofthe brake-beam H.

At the forward side of the brake-beam H is placed a link, K, throughwhich both arms of the brake-rod G- pass, and which is held in placeagainst the said forward side of the brake-bea m H by the forward nut,I.

Heretofore the brake-rod has been made straightand passed directlythrough the brakebeam, and the constant jarring crystallized the iron,and thus made it brittle, so that when the brake was applied and-thebrake-beam was raised and turned by the friction of the brakeshoesagainst the wheels the tendency of the brake-rod to bend at the forwardside of the brake-beam and the weakening of the rod by the screw-threadcaused the said brake-rod to break at that point.

With myiinprovement thereis lesstendency of the rod to crystallize, andthe bend, when the brake is applied, occurring in the body of thebrake-rod G where it passes through the link K, the said brakemod isless liable to break, and is thus much more durable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent. is- V 1. A brake-rod havingits rearendbentinto U form, its shorter arm being adapted to be passed through thebrake-beam, and the two arms connected together at the forward side ofthe said brake-beam, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination, with the brake-rod G, having a U-bend atits rearend, and the brake beam H, placed upon the short arm of the rod, of thelink K, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the twoarms of the rod are securely connected, and the bending of the rod fromthe tnrningof the brake-beam is made to occur in the body of the rod, asset forth.

MATTHEW VAN TASSEL,

Witnesses:

JAMES T. GRAHAM, 0. SEDGWICK.

